Igloo

One last post and then I promise to stop for awhile. My brother-in-law,Adam, is quite the outdoorman. His idea of a holiday is canoeing in the Yukon... which is quite funny as my sister's idea would be to shop on Rodeo Drive.

Each winter Adam builds an igloo and will sleep out in it several nights over the winter. He built this last week when it was -33C.... crazy fool!

Janie if you are reading this.. I can arrange a night in it for you!! haha

Jan 28... Tucson

Ooops.. Not sure how to rotate the photo! This is Dad in Tucson with a really old cactus. The guy who lived across the street from it came out to tell us that it was over 100 years old. The cactus only started growing it's arms when it was 75 years old.

We had a nice day in Tucson... did a bit of shopping. We went to the "chi chi poo poo" mall. It was nice to window shop at Luis Vuitton and Tiffany's. We went into this fancy pet store where you could buy gourmet pet food and 500$ dog beds!


Monday, we went for my hike in Bisbee and then to Naco, Mexico. Yesterday we did absolutely nothing. We were both really zonked. We got up this morning at 3am and were on the road at 3:30 for the airport. I was really sad to see him go but thankful for the two great weeks we had! I will be home before I know it!

Jan 27... Nogales, Mexico

Dad and I went to Nogales on Saturday. It is about a 2 hour drive from here. They have lots of shops and a nice market for Mexican souvenirs. It is a much busier border crossing than where I live. People who come to Arizona who want to visit Mexico typically cross into Nogales. We just walked around, visited the church, and had lunch. It was a beautifully warm day!

Jan 24 & 25.... Sedona

Sedona is probably my favorite place in Arizona. It is so beautiful. People visit Sedona for many reasons. Some people that the rocks hold a special power (we actually saw a group of people laying on the rocks in a certain pose trying to absorb the power!)

We originally were only going to stay in Sedona for one night but once we got there Dad loved it so much we stayed for two! We did a lot of hiking and some shopping too.
Sedona truly is a must see if in Arizona!

Some of the rock formations



If you look to the left you will see Snoopy Rock.. He is lying on his back on top of his doghouse!


This is a beautiful Catholic Church built into the rock. We went to visit and light a candle.


Havelinas on parade! Havelinas are like a boar and are found in Arizona. Sedona has about 30 painted havelinas on display throughout the town. They were really cute!

Jan 23... the Grand Canyon

What a sight!




Our train getting robbed!

Hope you are all still enjoying my long post!

I was just about to get in the shower when I heard my dad yelling my name. I came out to see him looking out the window. There were 5 deer in our backyard! What a sight!

We headed out pretty early and took the Canyon bus system (which is so efficient and free)out to the farthest point, Yaki Point. The views were just breathtaking! The bus driver encouraged us to walk along the rim for a few miles and we did! It was so nice as we were the only two out there so we got to really appreciate the views and the stillness. It was a bit scary at times as there is not always a railing to protect you from falling in! So imagine a bit of ice and snow.... plus some UGG boots.. Not the best combination. We basically covered the entire South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Around 3pm we boarded the train back to Williams. We had veggies, cheese, crackers, drinks (including champagne), cowboy entertainment... and.... near Williams the train got robbed!!! It was cute. The sheriff came on board to save the day.

(An interesting note about the Grand Canyon Railway.. each winter, in the evenings, it becomes the Polar Express. They take the children out so far from Williams, Santa comes on board and gives each child a bell, and they serve cocoa and cookies. How cute is that!? They are already booked for the month of Dec 07.)

Once we got back to Williams it was off to Flagstaff for the night.
Stay tuned for more......

Trip Report... Jan 22

On our second day we took the train from Williams to the Grand Canyon. The tour/package was fabulous. It included food, hotel, our train ride, a bus tour and even a boxed lunch. It was so well organized. This was my third trip to the Canyon ( bus tour and helicopter before) but I think this was my favorite.

We were in the first class cabin of the train and we could not believe how much leg room we had. They served drinks and pastries and we were entertained by a cowboy. Once we arrived in the Canyon (about 2 hours later) we immediately boarded a bus for a tour of the canyon. It is truly spectacular. I hope you can all one day experience it's beauty. Each time I see it I am truly amazed! It is like stepping inside a postcard! Our bus tour lasted about 1 1/2 hours. After which we had lunch and then found our hotel. Staying the night allowed us to take our time and enjoy the scenery.

The Grand Canyon Train


Me onboard... next stop the Canyon!


A little entertainment


The Grand Canyon

My trip report... Jan 21

Sorry to have taken so long to post some pictures. I brought my laptop with me and did a real number on it so the techies had to once again come to my rescue! I drove Dad to the airport this morning at 3:30 (ouch). I was sad to see him go and sad to know that he was returning to NB. I really miss home. The good news is that I will have company for Spring Break as one of my best friends is coming for a visit!

So, on to our trip. We got up early on Sunday, Jan 21 and headed north to Williams, Arizona. We made several stops along the way including the outlet mall in Casa Grande where I picked up a few things. I LOVE outlet shopping! Then I had to drive through Phoenix.. YIKES it was scary!

The drive itself was beautiful! There had been some snow in the mountains and as we approached Flagstaff there was some on the ground. We saw several families stopping to get pictures of their kids in the snow! We also saw an elk.

Williams was our stop for the night. We drove a bit on Route 66 and then went to the hotel and train station to pick up on tickets for the Grand Canyon Railway. The train, tour, and hotel in the Canyon was an early birthday present for my dad from my sister and I ( he has since said it was the best birthday present ever).




Mountains in Sierra Vista


Montezuma's Castle... an interesting dwelling built by the Singua people



Our hotel in Williams. Notice the snow? It was VERY COLD!

A Slice of Heaven

Just a quick note to say hi! I have 1000's of photos and will post some when I get home on Friday. Dad and I are having a great time. We spent 2 beautiful days in the Grand Canyon and today are in Sedona. It is just breathtaking. I hope you can all one day experience this area. Dad likes Sedona so much we are staying until Friday! It was really cold here on Sunday and Monday (Michel actually had a SNOW DAY from work on Monday due to a freak snowstorm) however yesterday and today was t-shirt weather!

Until Friday....

Happy Birthday to me!

Today was my first birthday away (well REALLY far away ) from home. I am glad Dad was here! We spent most of the day in Tombstone (the town too tough to die). It kind of reminds me of King's Landing except that this is still a real functioning town. People are walking around in costume.. or perhaps it is their real everyday clothes!?? haha The front two streets with the OK Corral and Bird Cage Theatre are still dirt roads. It was interesting to visit. We saw the shoot out at the OK Corral and had lunch at Big Nose Kate's Saloon.

This evening we had supper in Mexico at my favorite restaurant. A couple of Mexican signers came over and sang Happy Birthday to me and then sang me a Mexican song.

We are leaving bright and early for the Grand Canyon. I am not sure about Internet access for the next couple of days but will bring the computer in case.

Hope all is well back home!

It never rains in the desert.... until Dad visits!

I can't believe my luck. I can't even tell you the last time we had rain here... Dad visits and the weather goes nuts! It poured all day today... it was just miserable. As my mom keeps reminding me, my dad came to visit us not to sit in the sun. They say it is supposed to turn around and be in the 20's next week... I sure hope so!

We went into the town of Douglas this morning and visited the Gadsten Hotel which was a "grand" hotel in its day. Today people stay there to see if they can see a ghost. The lobby is beautifully done in marble and that is why we went for a visit. We also went to a famous street block where there is a church on each corner. I guess this is the only town or one of the only towns in the US where you can see that. Next,we walked to Mexico. It is so much easier to walk across the border than to take the car as you need special insurance and there is usually a long ( 1- 2 hours) wait to cross back into the US. We just wandered around and made a stop at the candy store. Dad is fascinated by the fence that divides the US and Mexico (see above photos). This afternoon we went back to Bisbee.

It was a nice day even though the weather did not cooperate. As Dad said he would much rather have the rain than the snow you all got today back home.

Dad and I as tourists in Bisbee

Dad and I spent the day in Bisbee. We did a tour of the old copper mine (where they mined not only copper but gold and silver too). It was very neat as they take you in 1500 ft! I have to admit that I got a little freaked out at first as I found it hard to breathe. The guide was great and once he started talking I was fine. They dressed us up as miners and then took us in on a sort of train. The tour really made you appreciate the hard life of a miner. After the tour, we had lunch and then walked around the town. Dad really enjoyed the uniqueness of Bisbee. It was a nice day although the weather was not great by my standards however much nicer than back home from what I have heard!

Scrapbook 3

As some of you know, I was fortunate to take part in a teacher exchange through UNB back in 1998 to jolly ol' England. I have decided that I want all my "old" albums scrapbooked and have started with this trip. I am just picking away at it. The exchange was so great as we worked in classrooms Monday-Thursday which gave us an extra day to travel. The pages I am posting tonight are of weekend trips we took to Ireland and Wales. It was so much fun!

Dad arrived safe and sound today. He is pretty tired after a long day of travel and it already in bed! (8pm) I am sure with the jet lag that he will be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning! He is so impressed with the mountains. He kept saying, "it is so different from home!, it's so beautiful" He also felt it was warm here... since the temperature has been brutally cold the last few nights at home!

Girl Scouts and the never ending sewing of crests!

This year is my 19th year with Girl Guides or as we say here Girl Scouts! So as you can imagine I have oodles and oodles of crests! I decided enough was enough and I had better start sewing them on my camp blanket before I head to India where I will probably acquire 100 more! One of my New Year's Resolutions was to sew 5 on a day so as you can see I am making progress.

We had a pretty quiet weekend. We went to see the movie "Dream Girls" which I loved. I will be cheering for Jennifer Hudson at tomorrow's Golden Globes!. Today we went to the candy store in Mexico to pick up a few things for my dad as he arrives on Wednesday. There is a certain Mexican candy that he loves... I will be sure to bring some home in the spring so you can all try. I must say they have interesting candy.... suckers coated in chili pepper!! yuck! I just can't imagine... that would be heart burn city for me!

Scrapbooking Challenge 2

I have to be honest... I did not scrapbook tonight.. I actually did these earlier in the week as I was supposed to have a knitting class tonight. I went and no one showed up nor did the "teacher" call to cancel so I am a little bummed. I am officially caught up in scrapbooking my current life. I am working on a trip to Europe that I took in university on the side.... however my Dad is flying in next week for two weeks so I will have lots of pictures to scrap and adventures to post. He arrives next Wednesday and we have plans to go to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff, Tombstone, and Mexico to name a few places! So next weeks "scrap post" won't actually be done on Thursday night either.

Ride em' cowgirl!

I just had to post this even though it took place in the fall as it makes me chuckle and well I felt like posting something. Some of you don't believe me but I really do live in the wild west. I am about 30 minutes to Tombstone, the town too tough to die... as in Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. Tumbleweed blows by all the time and the men walk around in cowboy hats and boots. It is a scene right out of a western movie. The college my husband works at has a rodeo team and each fall hosts a big rodeo where colleges from around the state and neighboring states come to compete. It is a big event, which I have to admit I did enjoy. They had a mechanical bull that you could try out and the scrapbook possibilities where endless so I had to do it. It was a lot harder than it looked and I even have a little scar on my hand. My arm was sore for days... wimp I know.

To those of you back home... happy first snow day.... however I would rather this weather.

Socks!

I am posting tonight for 2 reasons. First, I seem to be having a problem with the connection between my laptop and camera which is really annoying me. I am out in the girl's dorm computer lab and so far so good so perhaps it it my computer. I guess I will have to have the techies look at it. The joy of living on campus is that there is always computer support. Secondly, I just finished a pair of socks. Knitting socks,as a lot of you know, is my most favorite thing. I am not sure who the lucky owner will be... for now I will set them aside. I have a couple of new projects I can start now including felted clogs and fancy socks.

Scrapbooking

A friend of mine is doing his PHd in Scotland. His wife keeps a blog and every Thursday night she and her friends from around the world post scrapbooking pages to motivate each other, get new ideas and keep in touch. I thought it was a brilliant idea and asked if I could join. So far the closest scrapbookers I have found are 45 minutes away! I really miss having a scrapbooking group to go to. Here is what I have been working on this week!

Birdwatching

Ok... I have never been a birdwatcher and actually used to tease my mom and sister for doing so..... however there is the most spectacular bird that has been visiting my backyard and I have been trying to get its picture for days with no luck.... until today! It is not the best picture as when I would get too close it would fly away. I am not sure what kind it is but I find it the prettiest red! I may actually get a bird feeder in hopes that more come to visit. This area of Arizona is know for birdwatching and tons of tourists come for that particular reason!

Happy New Year....Snow in Arizona??

Happy 2007! Michel and I had a quiet night. We went to see the movie "We are Marshall" which we both really enjoyed. I boohooed the whole way through. I even managed to stay up to see Dick Clark ring in the new year. This morning I was up bright and early to do my hike with the ladies in Bisbee... they have really taken me under their wing. I feel the urge to start running again... I have one or two more marathons in me... perhaps I will go out later today with Michel.

Speaking of Bisbee..... I am attaching a few photos that I took last week. They got a freak snow storm. They say it happens a few times a year because of the high elevation. The tourists were really caught off guard. It certainly reminded me of home. We have no snow here where we are... it has been a bit chilly... but I now find 14C cold. Funny how soon you forget. It is supposed to be in the 20's this week which will be nice.